“This is a daily shame to the People’s Republic of China,” Prof
Cohen told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China in a briefing.

“It’s
not enough to make nice speeches about the importance of strengthening
the rule of law and it’s not enough to have internal reforms within the
ministry and various public security bureaux, you have got to come to
grips with concrete cases,” he said.

Zhou Yongkang, public
security minister, should “pick up the phone” and call the local police
chief to tell him to stop the abuse, Prof Cohen said.

An official
with the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing declined to comment
yesterday on Mr Chen’s situation and Shandong police did not respond to
questions on the case.